Not all polls agree on Clinton
Some portray widespread sentiment for
removal
By David M. Bresnahan
© 1999 WorldNetDaily.com
Which poll do you believe? Do you believe
any poll? Which poll do your senators believe?
Americans take it for granted that the polls
demonstrate broad support for President
Clinton in his impeachment trial.
A little research by WorldNetDaily uncovered
many surveys that contradict that conventional
wisdom. In fact, they show the exact opposite.
In a CBS News poll of 631 likely voters, 84
percent believe Clinton is guilty. An ABC
News poll of 803 adults determined that 69
percent think Clinton is not honest and
trustworthy. In the same poll, 73 percent said
Clinton does not have high personal and
ethical standards.
Brown University conducted a recent poll of
Rhode Island registered voters and found that
71 percent believe Clinton lied to the grand
jury, 65 percent think he committed perjury in
his testimony, and 49 percent believe he
committed obstruction of justice.
"If the election were held today, whom would
you vote for in your congressional district, the
Republican or Democrat," asked a recent
Zogby poll of 923 likely voters. It was a tight
race with 40 percent for Republicans and 39
percent for Democrats.
Opinion Dynamics conducted a poll of 911
registered voters for Fox News. A full 70
percent agreed that Clinton perjured himself.
Another Zogby poll of 993 likely voters found
that 55 percent believe that lying before the
grand jury is an impeachable offense.
There are many polls, with many different
questions and equally many different answers.
Polls are used by political consultant to
determine if their political spin is getting the
results they want. If the poll numbers are off,
they spin a little harder.
Polls are not only used to measure results,
they are used to influence. Political insiders
use polls to manipulate public opinion and
market candidates all the time.
David M. Bresnahan, a contributing editor for
WorldNetDaily.com, is the author of "Cover
Up: The Art and Science of Political
Deception," and offers a monthly newsletter
"Talk USA Investigative Reports." He may be
reached through email and also maintains a
website. |
